


Connecting the Dots

by PerennialFall



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Cute, Drinking, Established Relationship, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Romance, Slash, Stargazing, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22671280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerennialFall/pseuds/PerennialFall
Summary: Their love was forged in the sky, but Link has never seen it at this magnitude before.
Relationships: Ashei & Shad (Legend of Zelda), Ashei/Ilia (Legend of Zelda), Ilia & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link/Shad (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Connecting the Dots

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This is the most mindlessly fluffy thing I have ever written and will probably ever write. Also, it's February!

**Connecting the Dots**  
  
"There you are, old boy!"  
  
Shad greets Link with an old smile as he enters the room, wearing that warm and familiar gleam in his eyes. For as long as they've known each other it's never once flickered or waned. His boyfriend has no idea how he's gotten so lucky, or what in the heavens he's done to deserve such a thing. The spark caught hold some months ago and he's done nothing but fan the embers since.  
  
"Uh, hey." Link falls into the seat next to him at the bar. "Were you... waiting for me?" He sounds more quizzical than concerned. It's not the first time the scholar has had some surprise hidden up his sleeve.  
  
"That's right." Shad's smile widens some more, betraying his anticipation before he clears his throat. "Ah, but before we get into specifics... won't you sit with me a moment? I should very much like to hear about your day at the castle."  
  
"Aww c'mon, you don't have to listen to that!"  
  
Link lets out an exasperated sigh before he flashes a grin. His eyes are creased with the stresses of the day. Even in the gloom of the tavern, they're the most brilliant thing the scholar has ever seen. Until recently, their beauty seemed just as out of reach and unattainable as the stars. Seeing them close each day was a rare and honoured privilege, to be sure.  
  
He chuckles. "I love a good stoush between nobility as much as the next person. Though admittedly, it would be poor form to make you relive that for my sake."  
  
Link laughs. "Zelda isn't having any of it. She's withdrawn funding from the crown until they can sit in the chamber without talking over the top of each other. Since then, they've humbly begged her pardon and opened their negotiations with 'my very learned and respected lords.'"  
  
"Savage indeed."  
  
Shad imparts a gentle word of thanks as Telma sets their usual drinks down before them. She grins, exuberant as ever, before she returns to the bar and gossips with one of their more rugged patrons. Ilia sits some distance away from them, waving to Link before she leans in and continues her conversation with Ashei in hushed whispers. The warrior laughs suddenly. Shad looks twice to see whether it really was her.  
  
"... I've asked her to behave." He stifles a cough and adjusts his glasses. "We can't have Ilia returning to your village brandishing weapons indoors and snapping the fingers of every inebriated fool."  
  
"Why not?" Link shrugs. He brushes his elbow against Shad's ribs and sends a jolt of excitement down his spine. "It could really liven things up."  
  
"Good heavens, at what cost?" He laughs. "Even so... I have to wonder what they could be discussing in such detail!"  
  
"Us." Link smiles and shrugs as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on Shad, it only took how long for you to kiss me? Everyone was talking about it. I was gonna put matters into my own hands until I remembered I didn't know anything about romance."  
  
"Oh, Link..."  
  
He reaches for the hero's hand, squeezing it tenderly. And then he loses himself in the memory of those lips, remembering the warmth in their trepidation, and the jagged breath that followed. The rain had soaked him to his bones and all but destroyed his notes, but he didn't care. He would live in the storm if he could. Link dragged him away, beneath the nearest rooftop, and then suddenly he felt the heat of his body against his own. They kissed again.  
  
An hour passes, and they finish their drinks before passing over that same spot in streets. Spring never hits the city quite the same as Ordon but the air is heady and the cobbles are damp from the latest shower. The scholar hides a blush as he turns the following invitation over in his head. Though the words have formed tirelessly throughout his workday, he has no idea how they might tumble out now.  
  
"It sounds rather meddlesome for you to be dealing with this political drama after all your hard work," he begins, before he reaches for Link's shoulder. "And so, I must wonder... if it would please you to escape from that for a while?"  
  
"Escape?" Link's eyes light up and Shad has to steady himself upon the nearest shop front.  
  
"For a single night. In the great wilderness, of course." The scholar straightens his posture and summons his showmanship with a daring smirk. "You shan't need to bring a thing, only yourself. And I shall circle the location on your map for old time's sake. What do you say?"  
  
"Wow! I'd... love that."  
  
Shad beams back at him, enthralled. "I am most glad to hear it."  
  
Once his excitement peaks, Link realises the strangeness of this request. The last time they met beyond the city gates was in the red valley of Kakariko Village. He'd smothered the lower half of his face, struggling to hold his laughter as Shad's lecture about the ancient ruins was interrupted by the discovery of a scorpion on his leg. Before it could scuttle up any further, he plucked the creature off with his bare hands and sealed it away in a jar. It fetched a hundred rupees from Agitha but the look on Shad's face was priceless.  
  
Suddenly, the scholar finds himself falling backwards. He clings to Link's shirt as they hover precariously over the flower stand. Before Link can kiss him, he claws some power back by nuzzling against that tender spot beneath his jawline. He moans and it freezes them both in their tracks. "Oh my. And you say you know nothing of romance."  
  
The hero quietens him with a gentle peck on the lips, holding his gaze. "I'm learning."

* * *

Ilia yawns and stretches out over the bed, kicking her feet in the air behind her. The sun went down some hours ago but she's far too restless to go to sleep, along with Link, who hasn't been able to settle since he walked Shad home. Her familiar green eyes flit back and forth as she watches him clean his weapons on the floor and organise them on the opposite bed. Some of them have bloodstains but she doesn't ask. "So you're in for a special date, then?"  
  
"Yeah." He smiles. "At least, I think so. It seems really out of the ordinary for him. I wonder what we'll do?"  
  
She snatches one of the pillows and throws it at his head with a giggle. "Do you need me to draw a picture for you?"  
  
He resists the urge to pull a face. "Oh, come on."  
  
The tavern beneath the floorboards is louder than all of Ordon combined, and Ilia jumps when a glass shatters. Link had warned her that it'd only grown busier since they'd won back the castle. Despite the raucous noise, he knows he prefers to spend his nights here, in the town. Shad is only a few streets away, and from up here he can see every garden and tree this side of the city. A cool breeze flows in through the window.  
  
He smirks. "How're things going with Ashei?"  
  
"Good." Ilia frowns suddenly, pulling the blanket over her legs. "I get the funny feeling everyone's scared of her, though." She'd certainly noticed how on edge Shad and Link seemed when they introduced her. And just this evening, a whole crew of guards took one look at the admittedly taciturn girl before they ran right out of the tavern. Ashei continued her conversation about horse rearing as though nothing at all had happened and asked her to pick something from the bar. "Not sure why. She's really funny. And nice."  
  
"Ahaha... um, yeah. I think you've done better than most people."  
  
"Don't you think she's pretty, too?" She rolls onto her back and sighs, biting her lip. There were no girls around her age back at home and meeting one that differed from her so brashly was... intriguing. "I wish I knew more about fighting. Or how to use a bow, at least."  
  
"I could always teach you." Link grins. "But I don't think that stuff _really_ matters to her. I've noticed that around the right people, she's actually kinda... soft."  
  
Ilia resists the urge to throw another pillow. "... You know, it just occurred to me. Maybe you should bring your own little surprise for tomorrow?"  
  
"A surprise?" Link groans and brings a hand to his face. He tries not to laugh at his own shortsightedness. "Goddesses, I didn't even think of that. But... I wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't know where to begin! Shad's always so thoughtful and considerate. He's so good at this stuff, both of you are! And I'm just..."  
  
"Kind. Courageous!" She doesn't miss a beat. "You're a hard worker with a good heart. And you're actually very handsome. Don't throw yourself under the wagon like that."  
  
"Whoa, Ilia... I had _no idea_ you felt that way!"  
  
He catches another pillow thrown at his head mid-air and grins. If she wants a pillow fight, she's going to get one.

* * *

The bar is almost peaceful in the morning. Ashei smiles into her coffee as she sips it, thumbing through the pages of the report in front of her. Her eyes are less sharp when they're deep in thought. It almost looks as though she isn't listening to Shad as he prattles on, but if there's anything he's learned from their time working together it's that the details never escape her notice. He rests his hands upon the table when he finishes speaking.  
  
Ashei finally looks up. "Huh. That's brave of you."  
  
"Brave?" He bristles. "Why, you really must hold me in low esteem if you think I cannot manage a simple walk beyond the gates."  
  
She stares back at him without blinking, her voice deadpan. "There are Stalhounds in that field."  
  
 _"Still?"  
_  
Shad curses under his breath, not that he'd ever allow himself to do so in front of the others.  
  
"No one knows why, probably some old magic, but they crop up every sundown. Won't bother you on the cliff-side, though. Maybe you'd be better off camping out beforehand? Hmm. But there's a nest of guays nearby, as well." She raises an eyebrow as she imagines him fending them off with her sword. He survives until they steal his glasses.  
  
"... Oh Ashei, this is terrible." The scholar looks utterly crestfallen as he lets out a sigh. "I would hate to cancel after extending the invitation to Link... and the city won't do for it at all. Honestly, what must he _think_ of me for failing to repay his contributions to my research? All this time I have been wracking my brain for a solution, only to have it snatched away at the midnight hour!"  
  
Ashei rolls her eyes. It's just like him to be this dramatic when there's a solution right in front of him. "I'll escort you. I've got Siggy-"  
  
Shad blinks.  
  
"Sigrun." She coughs suddenly, embarrassed. "My mare. And I'm good with a bow. Once you're in a safe spot, Link and Epona can take care of the rest."  
  
He blinks again, taking a good minute to gather himself. "I-I... thank you, of course! What could I possibly do to repay you?"  
  
"Nothing." She's tempted to ask if he could lose her report in the trash or mix it up with the firewood but immediately decides that it'll be far more satisfying to dispose of it herself. She turns to face him properly and he blushes at her appraisal. "It's... just that I've never seen you so happy. Even with your head stuck in the clouds with the Oocca. I won't let something as petty as monsters ruin that."  
  
Shad wants to hug her until he remembers that she hates that _._ He settles for a handshake, instead. Her hold is warmer than he expects, and she fights back a smile. "Five o'clock at the western gate, yeah? Don't be late."

* * *

There are bands of orange in the sky when a set of hooves clops against the sidewalk. The last thing Shad expects to see is an ashen grey mare with a braided mane, woven with bunches of flowers from the market. He looks up to see Ashei gripping the reigns with a flat expression, intent on ignoring the stares and whispers of excited townsfolk. She stops a short distance away and climbs off, nodding to the saddle. Some of the petals scatter in the wind. "Well?"  
  
He clears his throat. "I-I must say, Sigrun is looking rather... dazzling."  
  
Ashei blushes angrily. "This is all Ilia's doing! I just let her cause... she was sick of hanging around town, yeah? She wanted something to do."  
  
"Well, it rather suits her. And you."  
  
She wields a glare that could curdle steel, and he averts his gaze before she even thinks of throttling him. "Hurry up! We haven't got all day."  
  
Shad uses the stirrups to haul himself into the saddle, struggling against the weight of a hefty knapsack. Once he's settled, Ashei swings herself up into the front. "You're gonna need to hold on." He swallows nervously and grips around her waist before they set off. At first their intermittent pace throws him around... but it smoothens out as Sigrun reaches the grass and falls into a canter.  
  
The field is vast and lush, stretching out into a plateau overlooking the lake. It captures the blushing colours of the evening and throws them back with brilliant fervour. There's no sign of trouble from the ground, though that doesn't stop Shad from watching it intently, his breath held. He doesn't notice the guays swooping out from the nearby trees until Ashei instructs him to move and she draws her bow to shoot them down.  
  
"Flawlessly done!" He laughs and she throws a smirk over her shoulder.  
  
Soon, they're at the edge of the cliffs and the earth tapers off into a rocky outcrop. Ashei is confident that the curse doesn't stretch this far but she waits until the scholar unpacks before she goes to leave. "Look after yourself, yeah? Won't be able to tell me about it if you fall from the cliff."  
  
"I must thank you again, most truly." Shad offers a slight bow. "And if you should ever require assistance of a romantic nature... well, you know where to find me. Otherwise, you could look to the skies tonight. But I'm afraid this spot is already taken."  
  
The warrior stares at him icily. Without another word, she gallops away.

* * *

Link checks the map _one_ last time before he sets off. His fingers trace over the spot where Shad circled it the night before, chuckling as he did so, in that beguiling way. Until recently, he hadn't been able to admit the real reason he was so intent on chasing down those owl statues. When the scholar finally heard the truth of it, he merely laughed.  
  
His yellow hair tangles in the wind as he rides out of town.  
  
It's an old feeling and he remembers it fondly during his days in the castle. A pack of Stalhounds emerges from the field but he leaps off Epona and makes quick work of them with the Master Sword. As unlikely as it seems, he misses that rush. He misses sprinting over the grasses and chasing his nose where it might take him. He never expected to make a home in the city and to enjoy it nearly as much as he does. It's a different sort of thrill, a chaos and a temperance tied into his affections.  
  
Soon he spots a small fire in the distance, a single beacon in the dark, and he knows he's getting close. There's a blanket on the ground, with an open book and a bottle of spiced mead. Warm light flickers against the scholar's purple coat, casting shadows upon his face.  
  
"Shad!" he calls across the plain.  
  
"There you are, old boy." Shad mirrors his smile as he approaches and dismounts. But up close, Link begins to read him with a smirk.  
  
"I have to ask... how'd you sneak past those beasts back there?"  
  
"I have my ways." He smirks right back. "Please, won't you join me?"  
  
Link knows a deflection when he sees one, though for now he'd rather leave it a mystery. He accepts Shad's invitation on the blanket and looks at the assortment of items around him, puzzled. "Oh dear, I do believe I could've organised this better. _Ahem."_  
  
He's suddenly faced with a peculiar instrument - a long metal device with glass lenses and an adjustment toggle. He isn't sure what it is but he can't let that excitement in Shad's face fall. He grins, painfully. "W-Wow! Amazing! You, uh... you brought one of _these."_  
  
"It's a telescope." Shad winks.  
  
"Oh." His face burns as he recognises the word. It's behind that astronomy book he keeps at home, the one mapping the night sky. "I know, now. It's what we use to study the stars! How we've come to understand our place in the realm."  
  
Shad stills his tongue. Link's unique collection of knowledge is an adorable trait, one that he will not ruin with his many words. "Indeed. And it just so happens that tonight is... well, special. We won't be needing the telescope, however I thought it might add to the experience while we wait."  
  
"What are we waiting for?"  
  
"Just you watch."  
  
He takes a moment to adjust himself and then lies back to admire the sky in full breadth. In truth he hasn't been able to relax all afternoon, but he conceals it well. Link watches him with a smile before he joins him. Their fingers knot together in the middle of the blanket.  
  
The sky is infinite. It yawns the deepest blue into its furthest reaches, wrapped in clouds of dusky purple. The stars are piercing through, just barely. They can be seen in every direction but it'll be some time until they've truly claimed the skies. When he stares for too long, Link uses his free hand to hold onto the grass. He imagines himself on the shores of Lake Hylia, dipping his feet into the cool water. It's irrational but part of him fears he might fall in, and never stop falling.  
  
He would drag Shad into the sky with him a second time.  
  
"Would you like to give it a try?"  
  
Link's thoughts are pulled back down from the clouds when he sees Shad offering the telescope, with an excited glint in his eye. "Uh, sure!" He holds it carefully, twisting and turning the device until it holds a clear view.  
  
Through it, the stars are transformed into vibrant orbs of light. The colours are subtle but he detects soft orange and pearly pink, or perhaps red. One of the stars is blue like the summit of Snowpeak at dawn. A coldness tickles his senses and he can hear the crunch of snow beneath his feat. He stirs and gasps as he explores the night, and Shad watches on, intrigued.  
  
"Here..." He speaks so softly that Link almost doesn't hear him at first. He moves to guide his hands. "If you turn it up to your right... there's three rather marvellous looking stars, almost in a straight line."  
  
"The Hunter." Link smiles.  
  
"Yes!" Shad chuckles quietly before he directs him further above. There's another constellation. "It could be interpreted as a bear or a ladle. Personally, I think it looks like neither."  
  
"Oh? What do you think it is?" Link lowers the telescope to catch his reaction. The scholar hesitates. He feels insignificant compares to the stars, yet for some reason he seems to be worth looking at in this moment.  
  
"Something much smaller and pointier, more akin to a badger," he decides. "And what is your interpretation?"  
  
"A phasmid."  
  
"That's oddly specific." Shad laughs and Link shrugs.  
  
"Yeah, well, I spent hours hunting them."  
  
He decides not to ask.  
  
The bottle pops open in his grasp and he offers Link the first sip before his thumb lingers over the rim. He pauses. He then sits it down in the grass, all but discarding his thirst, as he pulls himself closer to those broad shoulders and those rough lips. Link struggles to pin him down. He can feel his heart beating in his ears as he reaches for him back and their limbs become a tangled mess. There's ice in his veins when they kiss.  
  
Eventually, Shad has to break away. He reaches for the bottle a second time, remembering the reason behind their adventure. His boyfriend does not take offense. As the mead runs dry, there's a thrill in his voice and a lazy gentleness in Link's arms as he holds him in his lap. They take turns with the telescope, joking about the various objects the stars might resemble until suddenly there's a flash.  
  
The scholar gasps.  
  
This is it.  
  
"Whoa! Did you see that?" Link lowers the telescope and Shad smiles.  
  
Streaks of silver are falling across the sky. They're wild and sporadic, like glimmers of light upon a flowing river. Link notices the colours are softer than the stars but they burn through a spectrum, from red to yellow to green. Shad has seen it all before but he can't help but stand and stare, wide-eyed. It's his first time encountering every new trail of fire. It's also his first time sharing it with somebody special. His fingers find Link's again.  
  
Eventually, their eyes pull down from the heavens.  
  
"I invited you here so that we could look upon the meteor shower," Shad explains. "Oh, that's a fancy name for the falling of debris in our atmosphere. Marvellous, don't you think? I stumbled upon the phenomenon after years of searching the skies for something else... the City." He pauses. "I... wanted to thank you, properly, for what you've done for me and my research. I am forever in your debt, Link."  
  
"Aww no, Shad." Link is a little too enraptured by the sky to ruffle his hair. "You didn't have to thank me for that... but I'm glad to be here. It's beautiful. To be honest, I was starting to feel bad I wasn't doing enough to thank you... for being such a kind and caring partner."  
  
"I had to make up for it somehow." Shad smirks wickedly. "Ridiculing you in such a manner when we first met! Can you imagine?"  
  
But then, Link bites his lip and steps away. The scholar isn't entirely sure what is going on until he sees him untying something from the side of Epona. "I brought something for you, too."  
  
Shad blinks, and then blushes and fumbles on the spot.  
  
"I, uh... spent all day looking with Ilia."  
  
He remembers pulling her through the bustling streets. There's an assault of silky fabrics, the sound of distant bells, and the scent of freshly baked sweets in the air. He seems to know where he's going and she doesn't question it until they arrive at the third shop along the stretch, and his excitement whittles down into something that looks more like anxiety.  
  
"We spent hours searching through notebooks... and fancy writing implements and tea, when I realised you're always focused on something big. Something greater than all of Hyrule."  
  
For all his searching, he knew that no common item could possibly convey his affections for Shad. To worsen matters, he had quietly noticed the state of his personal library, which spilled into the other rooms of his house. Finding an original work in town seemed impossible. Ilia rested a hand on his shoulder, encouraging him as best she could, until he stopped mid-step to stare at a gallery.  
  
Link unfurls the scroll in his hands to reveal an expansive print of the setting sun. Even in the dim light, Shad can see swaths of every warm colour imaginable dancing upon the horizon. They hang over the town, which is cast in twilight's shadow. He notices the absence of brushstrokes and leans in closer to touch it. It's a pictograph. By far, the largest he has ever seen.  
  
"This was taken from Hyrule, the same night we stayed in the City in the Sky. It was the autumn equinox. Do you remember?"  
  
How could he not?  
  
It was the trip of a lifetime, which more than made up for the horror of travelling there via canon. All the while, his affections for Link were lurking beneath the surface. They were restless, shuddering, threatening to burst out through his many moments of sheer clumsiness and undo him. He'd held his tongue from commenting on the hero's windswept look as he helped him climb. Or the unshakable strength in his arms as he hauled him up onto the next platform.  
  
They swung their feet off the edge of the world and watched as the sun went down together. Shad felt breathless. Celestial.  
  
"Yes, I remember it well." He sighs and rolls the memory up for safekeeping. "Link... this is wonderful. I shall hang it in my study at once. My books aren't going to write themselves now, are they? And what better motivation than this! Thank you."  
  
He feels a brush of lips upon the back of his hand before Link's eyes flicker up at him. Shad touches the side of his face, fingers resting against his cheekbones. It doesn't take long before they kiss again. They move towards the edge of the cliff, watching as the falling lights scatter over the rest of Hyrule. The breeze shifts around them and leaves a hunger in the wake of kisses and glances of teeth.  
  
Link sits and stretches out contentedly. "Let's do this again, if we can."  
  
Shad chuckles. "Well then, I suppose we'll have to bookmark the date a year from now." He joins him on the ground, and together they fall into the blue expanse.

* * *

"Do you want to come look at the sky or something?" were the words that tumbled out.  
  
She is taken aback when the answer is an immediate yes, and finds herself blushing angrily in the dark as she's led outside. Ilia doesn't notice the shock in her pulse, or at least she pretends not to. She says the stars shine brightest in Ordon but this doesn't deter her from leading them over to one of the benches in the nearby park.  
  
They spend hours beneath the streaking sky, sharing stories of their homes until Ashei finds a soft head of blonde hair against her shoulder. She leans back awkwardly, unused to dipping her head at even the slightest angle. Ilia notices the stiffness in her posture and looks to catch her gaze. She's unreadable as ever. Elusive. Guarded. "Are you alright?" she murmurs.  
  
"I am." Ashei nods. And then, she smiles. "You're not scared of me, like everyone else... I like that."  
  
Ilia stifles a laugh. Unlike Link, she really does not do romance.  
  
But that's okay.


End file.
